[S3] Chapter 48: Separated

The longer I lie on the floor, the more I feel the pain from the fall. Oh well, it could also be from the slap from the snake. Actually, I should be grateful that I'm still alive, but somehow, I'd prefer to cry. Where am I, and, more importantly, where is Miko?

Slowly but surely, I lift my battered body upwards. With slightly shaky legs, I brace myself against a tree. As I try to catch my breath and clear my head, I look up at the sky again and try to make sense of the cracks in it. Am I still inside the dungeon?

Anyway, I think I should get out of the forest. It's no use waiting here, so I set off and start walking. Unlike the forests I'm used to seeing in dungeons, this one actually feels quite lively. I hear lots of birds, and the trees don't look as perfect as usual. Although most of the vegetation around me is covered in bright green, there are also a few plants that are not doing so well.

I don't know how long I've been on the road. I don't have my cell phone with me, and I don't want to count the seconds in my head. But the forest doesn't seem to want to end any time soon. Back when I was falling, I saw the area from above, and even then, there was absolutely nothing but trees. Of course, I could increase my pace a bit, but on the one hand, I want to save my mana, and on the other, all it takes is a stupid ruffle, and I break something. I've actually had enough of the pain for now.

What worries me a little is that the beautifully orange sky is slowly losing its color. It's getting dark, and I don't really want to sleep in the middle of nowhere. I haven't come across any animals or monsters yet, but who knows how many are watching me right now, just waiting for me to lose my guard.

So, after all, I have to pick up the pace a little. The ground has also been relatively stable and level so far, so ultimately, not too much should go wrong except that it just gets darker and darker. I end up creating a small ball of light from my mana, one of the few spells I can still cast without any magic circles.

Now it's getting cold, too. Wait, wait, since when does the sun go down and the temperature change inside a dungeon? I didn't even want to think about it, but I might not even be in a dungeon anymore. I might have ended up somewhere else on the planet. We don't have such dense forests in our country, but I've seen one or two videos of places like this.

A little later, I finally leave this dense forest. It's a bit brighter outside of it, so I extinguish my ball of light. My gaze wanders first to the sky, in which I can no longer see any cracks, but instead, a beautiful starry sky, which I marvel at for a moment with my mouth open, which is interrupted by my loudly growling stomach. I hate myself for feeling hungry right now. I have a thousand problems ahead of me, and hunger shouldn't be one of them. More important is the answer to the question of where the hell am I? Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I look around, and two things catch my eye. A huge-looking mountain in the distance that seems to be covered in snow, and at the foot of it, walls that at first glance don't seem high enough to protect against giant human-eating creatures.

I'm bad at estimating how long it will take me to get to the walls, so I don't even try to and start walking. After a few minutes, I end up on something I could, with a lot of goodwill, call a country road. With all these stones and bumps, I have to be careful not to twist my ankle. After all, the closer I get to the walls behind which lights are definitely shining, the better the quality of the road becomes. I decide to pick up the pace a little and switch to running.

And finally, I arrive near the walls, which look quite high from up close. At the end of the road is a large wooden gate. It seems like a typical entrance to a town back in the Middle Ages. I can feel my heart beating in my throat as I spot two people in full armor, holding spear-like weapons in their hands, standing in front of the gate. I slump down a little. It's not as if I hadn't suspected it from the start, but I didn't want to admit it. I've probably ended up in another world.

If it's the world I think it is, people should speak my language. At first glance, I shouldn't look too dangerous either, so I should at least try to get into the city. How do I get food or a bed? That is a problem for the future, Kayla, who made it inside. But first, I have to try not to cry. In theory, it feels no different to being in a dungeon. But I'm alone, separated from Miko. I am confident that she has ended up in the same world. I don't have to worry either. Surako is with her, and Miko is strong enough to look after herself. But I'd rather that she looked after me.

I gather my courage and sit up straight. I look ahead and am startled by one of the guards, who is suddenly standing right in front of me. I flinch and refrain from screaming. I have no idea how I didn't hear the clanking of armor.

“Good evening, ma'am. It looked like you were in trouble, so I thought I'd see if I could help.”

What a gentleman.

“I am in trouble, actually. A lot of it, to be honest. I've been separated from both of my partners and ended up stranded here with no money and no idea where they are. I'm hungry, and I don't have a place to sleep.”

The guard sighs heavily. “I see. Are you part of the Adventurers' Guild? They would surely let you stay with them for a night or two.”

I shake my head.

“Okay. Do you have any other acquaintances in town? Anyone who knows you?”

I shake my head.

“You don't have any money?”

“No.”

“No job?”

“Not really.”

“Ahhh.“ He scratches his forehead in stress, and I feel sorry for causing him trouble.

“I'm not really supposed to let you in. You're practically homeless.”

“Maybe I can somehow earn money.”

“How?”

“I can use magic.”

“You're a witch?” The disbelief in his voice hurts a little.

“Yes, I am.” I briefly doubt whether it was so clever to reveal this information, but his mistrust could be because he simply thinks I'm a liar.

“Please follow me to the gate. I have to talk to someone inside for a moment. Maybe I can get you in.“

“Really? Thanks.” I love him.

Like a happy dog, I follow him. When we arrive at the gate, I nod at his colleague with a broad smile before my savior walks through the gate. Maybe he thinks I'm cute, and that's why he's helping me. Hopefully, he doesn't get his hopes up. But in the end, I'm probably the one who has too much hope. After a few minutes, he comes back, followed by a young woman who doesn't really look much older than me. What makes her so extraordinary, apart from her nun-like attire, are her long blue hair and cat ears. Unlike Surako, she is completely hairless and looks more like a human.

She glances at me and then whispers something in the guard's ear. I stand here looking like a lost sheep. The guard looks at me a little pityingly and whispers something in the cat's ear before she stomps over to me, grabs me by the hand, and walks a few meters away from the gate with me.

“Please be honest with me, okay?“ she says in a serious tone, which is somewhat lost on effect by her cute voice.

“I promise.”

“You're not planning on selling your body, are you?”

“No. Why would I?”

“Because you're desperate, alone, and need money.”

“What exactly did he tell you?”

“That's confidential.”

Yeah, right.

“Isn't there some way I can earn money? Some odd jobs I can do to at least stay for the night?”

“You did say you can use magic?”

“Correct.”

The cat woman sighs.

“I see you are truly desperate. I run an orphanage in town, and I trust that you have a pure heart so you can sleep with us tonight.”

A few tears well up in my eyes. I don't know why her kindness gets to me like this. I don't care that she doesn't believe me about being a witch. One way or another, I'll try to repay her for this help.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. How could I abandon someone in need?”

I notice that she is still holding my hand and doesn't seem to want to let go. Together, we go back to the two guards at the gate.

“I'll take her for now.”

“You're sure about this?”

“As sure as I stand here.”

I admire her for the way she speaks such portentous sentences with her petite stature and cute voice as if she doesn't give a shit what others think of her. That's why my eyes are glued to her for the first few steps into town instead of looking around. When I finally let my gaze wander a little, I am greeted by a city that doesn't look all that different from the old towns in our world. In terms of architecture, they are probably about 200 years behind.

The main street is well lit, partly by typical flickering torches, but also by brightly glowing stones, probably a magical material. I don't know why we don't use magic in our world to save electricity. Be that as it may, quite a few people are still roaming the streets, paying little attention to us. Most of them are dressed as expected, with lots of cloth, nothing extravagant.

What strikes me is that my shorts and top show a bit more skin, especially my legs are quite exposed. Maybe that's why she was asking if I plan to sell my body. I have no idea how people generally dress here, but hopefully, I don't come across as an easy woman.

“There we are. Please keep your voice down. The younger ones are all asleep.”

“Got it.”

“You can sleep in my room with me. Follow me.”

The house we are going to is relatively narrow but quite tall. At first glance, I can see four floors. Once inside, I don't recognize too much because it is relatively dark, and only a few candles prevent me from running into something. The cat leads me to a door on the first floor, which reveals a staircase leading to a basement.

“Down here are the rooms of the young children, as well as my quarters. On the upper floors are the living and bedrooms for the older ones.”

The basement is definitely larger than the outline of the house, which strikes me, especially because we follow a relatively long corridor before entering her room through another wooden door. My eyes need a moment to adjust to the brightness. The place is quite spacious, with a bed, wardrobe, desk, and several shelves filled with books and other papers.

“You can sleep in my bed.”

“No way, I'll sleep on the floor. If you have a blanket I can lie on, I'll be perfectly happy.”

“All right.” She agrees to my selfless proposal a little too quickly, but I'd actually feel bad if she had to give up her bed for me. I watch her go to her wardrobe and take out something that looks like a thin mattress and a blanket. I notice something moving under her dress, probably the matching tail to the ears.

“I hope this is enough,” she says, handing me my bed for tonight.

“Absolutely, thank you.”

“Would you like something to wear too? Nights here can get pretty cold.”

“If you don't mind.”

“Not at all, I just hope they fit you.”

She is a bit smaller than me, at least in terms of height, because even though her dress squashes everything quite tightly around the top, I can guess that she is quite generously endowed.

I make my bed near hers so that if she gets up, she won't step on me, and then I start to take off my clothes before she meows in shock. I jump and look at her, a little frightened.

“What's the matter?”

“I haven't turned around yet.”

“We're both women, right?”

“Nevertheless, one should only show one's naked body to those you love.” I thought the nun's outfit was just for show, but she really is a bit of a prude, which, of course, I have to respect.

“Sorry. Won't happen again.”

“I'm not angry, don't worry about it,” she says and turns around. I quickly fold my shorts and top and throw on the nightdress she lent me. The fabric is heavier than I thought and feels a bit rough at first, but it warms my body surprisingly well.

I carefully sink to the floor, sit down on my thin mattress, and look at her. She returns my gaze and starts to turn a little red in the face.

“Do you always make eye contact for so long?”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, I just don't know it. Most people only stare at my ears or my breasts at most.”

I can understand that.

“But you're different. You know creatures like me, don't you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“You smell a little like a dog.”

“Ah. Yes, one of my partners is a dog person. Completely hairy and everything, I hope the smell doesn't bother you.”

“No, it's fine. I'm sorry I can't offer you a bath at this late hour. I'll draw you some water first thing in the morning.”

“You don't have to go to so much trouble, really. You don't even know me.”

“Now that you mention it, I'm terribly sorry that I still haven't introduced myself.” She kneels down in front of me on the floor so that we are now at eye level.

“My name is Kaia.”

“My name is Kayla. Nice to meet you, Kaia.”

As I simply look her in the face, the tears start to flow. My lip begins to tremble without me being able to stop it. I think today has just been a bit too much.

“Kayla, everything's going to be okay. I promise.”

I see how she makes signs that she wants to come closer but holds back. Kaia is really adorable, and I can't help but feel like I'm taking advantage of her kind-heartedness.

“Lie down and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day, and we can make a plan with a clear head on how to find your friends. Sounds good, right?”

“Really good.”

While I lie down on my side, she gets up again and starts unbuttoning her robe, letting it fall to the floor. Underneath, she is wearing a white dress, which includes a corset in the upper part that, among other things, binds her breasts tightly. As she unfastens the laces that constrict her so much, she takes a deep breath as if a load were falling from her. I notice myself staring briefly at her boobs, which definitely rival Lilith's. But before she notices and undresses even further, I turn around. After all, her body is not something I am supposed to see.

“I'll turn out the lights, all right?”

“Okay.”

I look up at Kaia, who is sitting on her bed, holding out a hand in front of her. Shortly thereafter, the glowing stones that are scattered around the room stop giving off light.

“Can you use magic?”

“I can only activate magical items. It's something you can do quite well after practicing for a few years.”

“You're a hard worker, aren't you?”

“You could say that.”

We both start giggling.

“Good night, Kayla.”

“Good night.”

Kaia falls asleep in no time. Meanwhile, I'm actually not that sleepy. Whenever I close my eyes, I see Miko in front of me, and my stomach starts to churn. It could also be hunger, which I have not yet taken care of. But I really don't have an appetite either. I would much rather just cry, so I let the tears flow.

I wish this was all just a bad dream, but the ground is too hard and cold for that. I haven't been separated from Miko for ages; there hasn't been a moment when I didn't know where she is or what she is doing, and this uncertainty is driving me mad. It doesn't matter that I know she's probably fine. The more I think about her, the more I worry that something will happen to her and that I won't see her again.

Before I know it, I start bawling. I pull the blanket over my face to suppress the noise. But the more I try to stop crying, the worse it gets. A moment later, I feel a pleasant warmth and softness on my back and an arm around me.

“Tell me when to stop.”

I say nothing. Even though I may not deserve all this kindness and care, I take it all.